Author's Note: Enjoy! :)
I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or anything else resembling what J.K Rowling introduced us all to. Just the plot and OC are mine.
Chapter 2
Avalynn could only take the ramblings of her mother for so long. She sighed as she tilted her head to hold the phone in place on her shoulder as she took her dinner out of the microwave with both hands.
"Uh-huh, yeah. I know, mom," she said tiredly. "I get it. I know you're worried about me, but I'm fine."
On the other end of the receiver, her mother said, "Honey, I just want you to be happy."
Avalynn sighed again. "I am happy, mom. I don't need a boyfriend to be happy."
At that moment, her Bernese Mountain dog waltzed into the kitchen, probably hoping some human food had fallen to the floor.
"Besides, I've got Moose," Ava said with a smile, earning a small chuckle and then a sigh from her mom.
At the sound of his name, the white, black, and tan dog perked up and began walking over to Avalynn with his tail wagging.
She smiled down at him as she pet his head.
Her mom spoke again, "Alright. Fine. If you're truly happy, then I'll deal with it, okay? But if you aren't happy Avalynn, you should do something about it. Try something new. Like a blind date or something."
"Pfft. I guess."
"Great!" her mom's voice perked up instantly. "I know just the guy, he –"
"Mom!" Avalynn grumbled.
"Okay, okay! I'll back off. Just let me know. Alright, I love you."
"Yeah, I love you too, mom," Ava said automatically before hanging up.
She put down her cell phone on the counter and bent down to Moose's eye level and scratched behind his ears. "I love you too, Moose. My big, fluffy man," she told him, looking into his chocolate eyes.
With a huff, Ava stood up, grabbed her phone and dinner off the kitchen counter and headed into the living room to eat and watch TV. Maybe I should just go on a date. It's been quite a while, she thought. She was tired of her mom worrying about her, and even her two closest friends dropped hints every now and then about her trying to be in a relationship again.
She shook the thoughts from her head and focused on the Supernatural rerun that was on as she finished her dinner. Eventually, she turned off the TV and lights, got ready for bed, and snuggled under the covers. Moose would always hop up on her bed while she got ready, but as soon as she pulled back the sheets to climb into bed, he'd jump down and lay on the floor next to her.
Soon enough, Ava fell asleep, not knowing what world she'd be waking up in.
Even though the black dog, rat, and stag couldn't see, they could all smell the scent of another person in the room.
Blinking rapidly, Sirius started to sniff out the scent, trying to locate the source. It smelled floral, and as he got closer, he could make out a lavender aroma. Eventually, his vision cleared and he saw a large lump in the back corner of the room they had locked themselves in.
He bolted over to what he assumed was the body of a person and once he got close enough he could sense that it was a girl, and she was definitely the fresh flowery scent in the room. He took in her dirty blonde hair and tan complexion, and quickly realized that she was unconscious. More than likely asleep, considering she looked to be wearing pajamas. Sirius couldn't help but take a moment to look over her body, realizing how revealing the loose T-shirt and cotton shorts were. He shook his head, mentally reprimanding himself and immediately whined, trying to wake the girl up.
Gotta get her outta here before Moony realizes there's a human in here, Sirius thought. She doesn't know that there's a werewolf not even twenty feet away from her, he continued as he whined again, this time a little louder.
He briefly considered transforming back into a human, but he'd have a better chance of protecting her as Padfoot if the werewolf woke up soon.
In the background, James and Wormtail were slowly beginning to recover from the bright flash that had lit up the room moments ago. They could smell another person in the room as well, and desperately tried to clear their vision so they could see what was happening.
James recovered first and saw that Padfoot was already attending to the person, hopefully urging them out of the room. He glanced down at his werewolf friend and thought, Thank fuck Moony is always a little disoriented for a while after he transforms.
Across the room, Sirius was thinking along the same lines, but he knew Moony wouldn't be out for much longer. He nudged the girl's shoulder with his nose and whined even louder this time.
The girl grumbled a little and shifted, and his hopes soared as she reached out towards him, thinking that she'd finally wake up when she realized that she was touching fur. But she just pet him and mumbled, "Shush, Moose."
Moose? Sirius shook off her hand and let out a low grumble.
She sternly said, "Moose, be quiet."
He let out a scoff that blew some air onto Ava's face, moving some of her hair around, giving him an idea. He started licking her face frantically, forcing a small chuckle out of the girl, and she rubbed her eyes and slowly blinked a few times.
As she slowly woke up, she reached out and continued to pet Sirius.
He could hear Moony start to shuffle around behind him and he took a glance back to see Prongs and Wormtail standing in front of the werewolf, blocking his path to Sirius and the girl. Turning back to the unknown girl, he whined again, louder, and used his teeth to tug on her oversized pj shirt.
Ava's eyes flicked open suddenly at the tug and she exclaimed, "Moose! No." She frowned at the part of the room within her line of vision, realizing it looked nothing like her bedroom, with the faded wallpaper peeling and exposed wood in various patches along the wall.
Avalynn glanced to her side, expecting to see her dog. "You aren't Moose," she said confusedly.
He was done wasting any time, Moony would be fully conscious any moment now, so he let out a low, gruff bark.
Considering he was directly in front of Avalynn's face, and she only just woke up, he scared the shit out of her. She crawled backwards from him with wide eyes until she bumped into the wall only a few feet behind her.
She kept her eyes on him and held out one hand, and cautiously said, "Good, puppy. I'm not gonna hurt you."
He couldn't help but scoff at the girl. She didn't understand that she was the one in danger.
Ava frowned. "That sounded almost like a laugh. Are you laughing at me, puppy?"
The big, black dog in front of Avalynn seemed to roll his eyes and then started to walk towards her.
Sirius couldn't wait any longer. Ava tensed as he got closer, but held out her hand still.
The dog didn't even seem to smell her hand, but continued to step closer, into her personal space. He bit on a piece of her shirt hanging off of her shoulder and once again began to tug her towards the door.
Unfortunately, Moony was regaining consciousness right next to the door, so they would need to hurry.
Ava was completely flabbergasted at this weird dream she seemed to be having. It felt real, but it definitely wasn't because she wasn't in her bedroom anymore. And not to mention this huge ass dog that definitely wasn't Moose.
When the dog started to tug on her shirt again, she had had enough. "Hey there, puppy," she said as she reached for his head.
Sirius tugged harder, trying to pull her to the side so that they could sneak past the werewolf.
"Look, I don't know why you're tugging on me, but I'll follow you, okay? Chill," she said, grabbing his face behind both ears and scratching like she would always do to Moose.
Sirius was actually distracted enough by the pleasant scratching feeling that he realized too late that the girl was moving to stand up. In the back of his mind, he knew that wouldn't be a good idea. Moony might think of her as more of a threat, but it was too late.
From Ava's position on the ground, the big fluffy dog had blocked her view of the room, and now she could see what it held, causing her to tense suddenly.
Since the wonderful petting had stopped, he looked up at the girl to see her standing, staring wide-eyed behind him. He whipped around, ready to defend her against his werewolf friend, and hopefully distract him long enough for Prongs and Wormtail to get her out the door and down the tunnel.
"What the fuck?" Ava asked. "Why is there a deer in here?"
With that question uttered, the deer, the black dog, and what appeared to be a small rodent or something on top of the deer's antlers, all turned to look at her.
She almost felt like laughing, but she was feeling judged somehow by these animals. It was her dream for crying out loud, she could say whatever she wanted. And besides, deer don't belong indoors, that's just ridiculous.
She continued to frown, making eye contact with each animal and said, "What?" She looked down at the dog, since she was used to talking to Moose around the house, and said, "You know it's weird that a deer is inside a house, right?"
The dog's eyebrows raised and she shook her head. "Whatever."
Looking back up at the deer, she saw it's jaw hanging open. Now she couldn't help but let out a little laugh, causing Sirius to take a look at the deer and also let out what sounded like a chuckle at the sight that his dear friend Prongs made.
Looking around the room a little more, Ava could tell it was a bit rundown, the wooden floorboards were worn and a couple were sticking up in places. Some of the room was covered in shadows, and she see could only see the few details of the room from the moonlight streaming through the windows.
Hmm, she thought, must be a full moon. Now why am I dreaming that I'm in a crappy, old house with a bunch of animals?
What Ava now realized was a rat, ewww, started scurrying all across the deer's antlers and squeaking.
Ava huffed and asked the dog, "What's his problem?"
Sirius realized that Peter was trying to warning them that Moony was waking up. Too late, Sirius thought, as he turned to face the werewolf and moved in front of Ava.
She could see how the body language of the dog had changed and that the deer and rat were now looking into a corner of the room that she hadn't really taken in yet because it was covered in shadows.
Slowly, a hulking, furry figure stepped out of the darkness with amber eyes gleaming. It was the biggest dog she had ever seen, with sandy-colored fur and huge paws, probably bigger than the size of her hand.
"Woah, big puppy," Avalynn said softly, causing the massive canine to perk his ears towards her.
Sirius couldn't believe this girl and her reactions, especially to Moony. Who doesn't freak the fuck out over a werewolf? he thought.
Ava may not have moved a muscle at the sight of the ginormous dog, but she was certainly panicking internally. He's just a big dog, just a big dog.
However, as Moony stepped fully out of the shadows, Ava thought, That's a fucking huge dog. Did it get dipped in radioactive ooze as a puppy or something? Jesus.
It was clear that the werewolf had sensed the presence of someone unfamiliar and decidedly human. He growled slightly at the deer and rat to step aside, and Prongs and Wormtail obliged, knowing that the plan would be for them to help the girl get out of the room.
Padfoot was closer in size to Moony anyway, so he would be the better distraction for the werewolf. Not to mention, he was less likely to get truly hurt in a fight.
As the humongous, sandy dog got closer, Avalynn could see that there was something about him that seemed very undoglike.
He looked more like a wolf, especially when he bared his teeth and let out a low growl.
The black dog in front of her did the same and she could see his hackles rise. She knew that these dogs were huge, but she felt the need to step in and try to stop them. Occasionally, something like that would happen at the dog park when she'd take Moose. It was probably the same here she assured herself. Just much, much bigger dogs.
Ava cleared her throat and took small steps forward, holding out her hands in supplication. "Okay, guys, no reason to get all mad at each other. Everything's fine," she said soothingly.
The gigantic, sandy dog looked up at Ava, but the black dog wouldn't take his eyes off of his currently dangerous friend.
When the growling didn't continue, she praised, "Good boys. That's it puppies, everything's fine." She was trying to edge her way in between the two canines, but the black dog kept heading her off.
The wizards in the room couldn't believe that this random girl was trying to approach a werewolf as if it was some upset pet.
Sirius was becoming more concerned the closer they inched towards Moony.
Ava grew tired of the fluffy, black dog cutting her off, so she quickly sidestepped him and crouched down in front of the sandy wolf-looking dog in order to appear less intimidating. At this level, the dog's head was well above Ava's.
Her sudden movement caused Moony to tense, and Sirius to growl a warning to the human.
However, Ava definitely didn't need a warning. She knew this could be dangerous, but figured it was a dream, so what the heck, right? She gulped and very cautiously, reached out her hand for him to smell. She was now nearly face to face with the huge dog and was struggling to maintain eye contact with the piercing amber eyes, hoping that he'd be able to read her body language and sense that she wasn't a threat.
Sirius couldn't figure out what the hell the girl was trying to do, but she was going to get herself killed. He frantically tugged on the back of her shirt, trying to pull her away from Moony, causing her to fall backwards onto the floor.
The werewolf growled furiously at Padfoot, making Avalynn say in a shaky voice, "Shhh, it's alright, it's alright," while continuing to lay on the ground.
She craned her neck to look back at the black dog and said, "It's okay, puppy. I'm fine." Inside, she was intensely panicking, thinking that the sandy dog might actually bite her, but she didn't want the other dog to get hurt. Reminding herself that this was just a dream, she took a couple deep breaths and instantly calmed down.
She wouldn't actually get hurt. She had never felt pain in a dream, but it was always incredibly unsettling to get injured or even die in a dream. She'd always wake up in a panicked sweat. However, she always woke up crying from dreams where Moose got hurt or she couldn't find him, and she thought it'd be the same if she had to witness these two dogs fight it out. She'd rather "die" and wake up, than experience that.
Sirius' eyes flicked back and forth between Moony and the girl on the floor. He didn't know what to do. He was worried that if he made a move now, then Moony might bite the girl. The werewolf seemed to not want him anywhere near her. Sirius glanced over at Prongs, but his eyes were glued to the scene before him.
The werewolf slowly crept up the girl's body, walking on the outside of her legs. To the girl's credit, she managed to stay very still.
Okay, Ava, you can do this. He just a really big dog. Stay still, let him sniff you, and you'll be fine, she thought to herself as he gradually made his way up over her body. She desperately wanted to close her eyes, but she still wanted to see what was happening.
As the massive, furry body engulfed hers, Ava could feel herself starting to shake slightly. She still had one hand gently held in the air, only about a foot above her face. She tried to keep it steady as the huge snout approached it.
The wolf-like dog merely nosed it aside and dipped his face towards her chest. He swept his nose up, over her breasts to her face, forcing Ava to close her eyes briefly. When a low growl started in the back of the sandy dog's throat, her eyes snapped open to see him baring his teeth slightly.
For a split second, Ava forgot this was a dream and she thought that she was going to die. This animal was definitely big enough to rip her throat out if he wanted to. She could also very much so feel the heat of its breath on her skin. Desperate, she turned her head to the side, hoping that since he looked very much like a wolf, then maybe he wanted her neck bared, rather than wanting to smell her hand.
Ava twisted her head to the side that Sirius sat on, and she could see the panic and worry in his eyes as he sat there, shaking slightly. She thought it was odd that he seemed so set on protecting her.
Behind her, she thought she heard the squeak of a rat, and some strange sort of soft braying noise. Soon, all she could hear was the wolf-dog snuffling in her ear and then down her neck.
The black dog was watching the movement very closely and Avalynn could see that he was ready to spring into action at any second. Something must've happened that she couldn't see because the black dog started growling suddenly and took a step forward.
This caused the big dog hovering over her to let out a fierce growl in return.
She was truly quivering now, and once again reminding herself that even though this might feel real, it really was just a dream. "It's fine, puppy," she whispered, trying to soothe the dog coming to her defense.
He glanced down at her and let out a whine.
She swallowed and once more said, "I'll be fine. It's okay."
He whined again, but sat down.
"Good puppy," she said with a slight smile.
Immediately, the sandy wolf-dog had returned to her exposed neck and sniffed once more before biting down on her skin slightly.
Ava was terrified, but reminded herself that that's exactly what wolves do, so she stayed very still. The minute pressure around her neck disappeared, so she glanced up.
The massive animal's face was still directly above hers, amber eyes boring into her own.
Suddenly, the face was covering her own, and she braced for a typical dream death, but all she felt was hot wetness. When the sensation dimmed, she peeked her eyes open to see the sandy dog's tongue coming in for another landing. She couldn't help but let out a giggle and reach up to pet the dog.
Moony was spurred on by the girl's laugh and continued to vigorously licked her face and neck.
After hearing a sharp bark to the side, both Avalynn and the huge canine above her froze and turned to see the black dog looking at them strangely.
Ava would've said he was frowning as he glanced back and forth between her and the huge wolf-dog.
After a few more licks and giggles, the wolf-dog backed off of Avalynn and yipped at the black dog and wagged his tail, bending into the play position.
Ava shook her head and laughed. She slowly stood up off of the ground, causing the sandy dog to pause his movement and watch her intensely.
"It's okay big guy. I'm just moving out of the way," she reassured him.
Ava had noticed some cushions and blankets piled up on one wall of the room, so she headed over there to get out of the animals' way. It even seemed like the deer and rat wanted to play too. After a couple minutes of watching them play, Ava realized that they're the same animals that the Marauders were, from the Harry Potter series. She laughed quietly to herself and thought, No wonder there's a deer and rat in here too. But apparently I need to cut back on the amount of fanfictions I read.
It then dawned on her that the sandy "dog" must be Remus, and that must've been why the black dog was so protective.
It's still a pretty strange dream. Waking up in the Shrieking Shack, just to watch the Marauders play about during a full moon?
She eventually got comfortable in the pile of blankets and cushions as the animals tussled together and after a good amount of time, Moony snuggled up to her. He laid his head on her lap and made sure to wrap his body around her side.
Ava laughed and said, "Well, okay then big puppy," and proceeded to pet his head softly.
After the werewolf was settled, the Animagi decided to lay down and get some sleep as well. A short while later, Remus, James, and Peter had nodded off and Ava was nice and comfy, so she started to fall back asleep.
Sirius had no clue know who this girl was, and really didn't understand Moony's reaction to her, so he wanted to keep an eye on her.
Avalynn was finally drifting off, still thinking that all night was a dream as she glanced over at the fluffy grim and said, "Good dream, Padfoot." Her eyes closed before she was able to see the Animagus' eyes go wide in surprise.
The next second, his eyes quickly narrowed in suspicion. However, he was willing to let the issue rest until Remus was able to transform back and was up in the Hospital Wing.
